One Door Over
by gluegirl56
Summary: What if Garak didn't kill Weyoun in the season finale? Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

Star Trek Deep Space Nine – One Door Over

_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing

_Characters:_ Weyoun centric with Bashir/Kira/Odo/Garak/female Changeling

_Spoilers:_ AU

_Time: _Final episode and from there on

_A/N: I don't want to change the outcome of the series so I figured let's put this in a parallel universe. This takes place in the closest parallel to our right so the characters are going to differ slightly from the originals but only slightly. _

_This is a two-parter so please review and tell me what you think, constructive criticism is welcome too if you feel for it. I really want your opinion ; ) _

_Beta reading by _MizJoely,_ thank you very much, I would be lost without a beta. _

oooooooooo

Chapter One

They had pushed forward and, he admitted to himself, they had been lucky that the guards had voluntarily let them in. He smiled a bittersweet smile; the success had not come without loss. Legate Damar had been killed just on the floor below and it was up to Garak now to lead his people and help them rebuild what they had lost, that is if they let him after his exile.

However this was neither the place or the time to wonder about that. The only thing that mattered now was to end this, to end it all before it was too late and everything he held dear was truly lost. He glanced at Colonel Kira who aimed her phaser at the door in front of them.

"Are you ready to do this?" he asked seriously.

She nodded. "I am as ready as I can be."

He accessed the door panel and raised his gun to fire. The handful of Jem'Hadar soldiers were no match for him, Colonel Kira and the small group of Cardassians that followed them.

Finally he and Colonel Kira stood face to face with Weyoun and the female Changeling. The Vorta looked at them, stepping protectively in front of the Founder. He didn't seem surprised to see them; it was more as if he had been expecting them.

"Well Colonel Kira, what a pleasant surprise." Weyoun said by way of greeting.

The Bajoran woman smiled faintly at him. "The pleasure is all mine."

"The Federation Fleet has now surrounded the planet." Garak heard one of his fellow Cardassians say. He knew there was no way back now. They had gotten this far and this was only the beginning.

"I want you to contact the Jem'Hadar and the Breen and order their ships to stand down." Kira said in a chilly tone.

"And order the troops on Cardassia to do the same." Garak added calmly, the phaser in his hand pointing unwaveringly at the Changeling and her loyal follower.

The Founder looked ill, her imitation of the human skin appeared to be falling apart, but her determination did not waver. "I will not do such thing."

Weyoun suddenly spoke up. "Tell me, where is my old _friend_ Damar?"

Garak could feel his temper rise but didn't let it show in his voice. "Damar is dead."

"What a pity." the Vorta replied coldly

"He died trying to free Cardassia." Garak's temper was flaring now and his grip around the phaser tightened, his focus entirely on the arrogant little creature in front of him.

Weyoun made a face and shrugged. "What's left of it." he remarked dryly.

And that was enough; Garak didn't think about it, he just reacted to the offence thrown in his face. It wasn't like he hadn't done it before while in the Obsidian order. He pulled the trigger in a rage and watched with satisfaction as the surprised Vorta fell to the floor with a thud.

In a way it had been too easy, the cloned alien hadn't even tried to evade the phaser beam. Used to be re-awakened in a new body after every accidental or deserved death, there simply didn't seem to be any survival instinct left.

The female Changeling looked down at Weyoun's lifeless body. "No." she whispered.

Ignoring the looks from her so called enemies she simply walked over to where the Vorta had fallen and knelt by his side. Seemingly upset,she placed two fingers under his chin searching for a pulse. "It's his last clone, he can't be lost."

Kira angrily holstered her weapon and began moving towards her enemy. "The war is over, you have lost everything."

The Changeling glanced up at her. "There is still time."

"For what?" Kira demanded.

At first Garak thought he had imagined it, but then there was no mistake, the Vorta moved slightly.

The Changeling said nothing, simply placed her hand under his head. "Weyoun you are the only solid I have ever trusted."

Big bright blue eyes stared up at her. "Forgive me, Founder."

She shook her head slightly. "You have done nothing wrong, my dear Weyoun."

The Changeling looked at the Federation-allied Bajoran. The Cardassian didn't deserve to be acknowledged. He would have been eradicated from the universe with the rest of his people if everything had gone according to plan.

"You are surrounded, now recall your troops."

The Bajoran was nothing if not persistent, but she didn't see the whole picture. "Maybe we have lost but by now you should have realized that you haven't won anything either." she answered the Colonel, devoid of emotions.

"What do you want? More bloodshed?" Garak questioned angrily.

"I don't trust solids."

_No, that much was obvious_, Kira thought. "Perhaps you could tell us why? What have we ever done to your people?"

The Changeling ignored her question and carefully began peeling away the layers of clothing from the deep burn on the Vorta's chest, Weyoun had long given into unconsciousness.

"Withdraw your forces and stop this nonsense!" Garak exploded.

"Your words mean nothing to me Cardassian. You sealed your faith when you shot my loyal servant." She looked up at him. "I believe solids have a saying, '_Don't shoot the messenger'_."

"The people out there are innocent, they don't deserve to die." Kira tried. "For every minute you delay more people is going to die, is that really what you want?"

The Founder made a face. She seemed to have aged considerably in just a few minutes. "I am dying, we are dying and I have nothing left to lose."

Garak swallowed, things didn't go according to plan. If the Changeling didn't call off the forces, the Breen and the Jem'Hadar would continue to fight and the Federation casualty reports would double at the very least.

Kira activated a channel to the ship. "This is Colonel Kira calling the Defiant."

"Sisko here, it's good to hear your voice. However, I am a bit preoccupied at the moment so what can I do for you?"

"I need Odo and Julian and I don't have time to explain."

"They are on their way; just end this."

"I intend to Ben, I intend to."

Ten seconds later Odo and Dr. Bashir materialized next to her and Garak in the Dominion Command Center.

Kira nodded at Julian who quickly walked over to the pale alien lying on the floor. Odo followed and carefully put a hand on his fellow Changeling's shoulder.

"You need to stop this." Odo said softly, helping her up to give Dr. Bashir room to work.

The look of defiance was gone as she looked at the other Changeling. "Why, Odo, why do you side with these solids?"

"Don't you understand? I am happy with them and I trust them, they don't judge me for not being like them."

"How could you? They are unpredictable and dangerous; they don't share with each other like we do."

"It doesn't make them dangerous, it makes them human." Their eyes met and he wore a sad look on his face. "Everything doesn't need our control."

The female Changeling looked at Weyoun sadly. "He is lost without our control."

Odo shook his head. "The Vorta can relearn what they lost so long ago, what we took away from them. The originals didn't obey us, " he reminded her.

Kira swallowed, suddenly not liking where this conversation was going. "You destroyed them?"

"They were a strong and formidable enemy but an enemy can be shown the true path in one way or another."

"Perhaps it's you who need to be shown the true path." Garak offered.

She ignored the Cardassian and turned to the Federation doctor. "Odo thinks highly of you." She nodded in the direction of Weyoun. "I need you to save him."

Bashir looked at her grimly. "I won't lie to you; his chances of survival are slim at best." He looked up at Kira and Odo. "I need to take him with me to the _Defiant_."

Kira tiredly ran a hand through her hair and nodded.

Garak watched as Julian and Weyoun disappeared in a shimmer of blue in front of his eyes. Reports where still coming in from the frontline. "Do you want him destroyed with the rest of the people out there?"

"Trust them and trust me." Odo said softly. "There is still a future out there to embrace."

"We are dying, Odo."

"No, you're not, I can stop it." He reached out with his hand for her to take it.

"Odo!" Kira warned.

"How?" The female Changeling wondered, slightly amazed.

"It doesn't matter, just link with me." He urged.

Her sunken face looked up at his. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I am part of you, I need you as much as I need them."

It was clear to her who he had meant but the idea didn't intrigue her. "A joint future?"

Odo nodded."Yes."

Garak watched the Changelings blending together, his hand on the trigger, a moment later the aliens returned to their human shapes; both of them healthy.

The female smiled faintly at Garak and Kira. "Please step aside so that I can recall our ships."

Garak didn't move at first, afraid that she was deceiving them but as he looked at Odo's satisfied face he reluctantly stepped back, deciding that she was telling the truth.

oooooooooo

Weyoun opened his eyes although still oblivious to his surroundings. He'd had the strangest dream, it didn't felt like he had gotten a new body and been reactivated again. No, this was something else entirely for he felt excruciating pain and it threatened to take him back into the blackness that had surrounded him moments earlier. He clung to an image etched in his memory; a Cardassian aiming his gun at him and then voices, but he was unable to recall what they said. Still not really aware he struggled to sit up, which almost landed him back in the unconsciousness. Immediately he felt a couple of hands firmly on his shoulders.

"Easy Weyoun, easy," a gentle voice cautioned, and he let himself being lowered back on the bed, his eyes closed.

"Do you remember what happened?"

He slowly shook his head as if trying to clear away the haze surrounding it. He thought he had seen Federation equipment but he wasn't sure.

The voice spoke up again and it sounded unsatisfied. "You were shot." He allowed Weyoun a moment to process that knowledge, then continued gently, "I am afraid you have lost a lot of blood. Unfortunately I couldn't save the tissue around the wound. You're lucky Garak managed to hit you between your vital organs. We are talking mere millimeters here."

Weyoun opened his eyes to slits as the bright light above him made his eyes water. The voice belonged to Dr. Bashir, he could place it now but he still didn't understand.

"Why am I here in this body?" he asked confused.

"Don't worry about that, it's natural to be a bit disoriented when you've been brought back from the brink of death. Now keep still and tell me the minute you feel anything out of the ordinary. I hope the pain doesn't trouble you too much, but I am not at ease with your physiology and I don't dare to pump you full of human medicines."

"I am the last clone." He whispered, grimacing as he shifted on the bed. "The Founder, I was on Cardassia." he said as if suddenly remembering.

Julian Bashir looked down at his pale patient.

"We lost the war, may the Founder forgive me."

The usually arrogant and cunning ambassador of the Dominion fleet looked lost. The clone had fulfilled his part of the war by planning it, eradicating millions and keeping the forces together. The Vorta was dangerous and Bashir involuntarily shuddered thinking about the millions of innocents that had lost their lives because of him. However deep down Julian believed there was something more to Weyoun than his cruelty and blind obedience for the Founders, there just _had_ to be.

"Doctor Bashir, why am I back in Federation territory?" The voice was returning to the normal soft but still demanding.

"The female Changeling is quite fond of you, it seems."

The Vorta seemed almost upset by the words."No, you don't understand, we live only to serve and our mistakes are punished by our being replaced by a cloned successor." Weyoun looked straight at the doctor, fixed him with a fierce stare. "So I ask you again; why am I here?"

Julians' face turned grim. He had no answer to that but he had plenty of questions of his own. When he didn't reply the Vorta turned his head away staring at some imagined thing on the wall. Then suddenly he looked at Bashir again, his features softer.

"I serve no purpose anymore." The blue eyes no longer held the cruelty and confidence they used to. In them was only defeat.

"Where do you come from?"

"The Founder created us, we owe everything to them."

Bashir shook his head. "No, I am not talking about the clones. What about the first of you, the first Weyoun?"

"The first was created when the Founders needed him," he said simply, not understanding what the doctor would get out of it.

"Do you believe that?"

"It is not my…right to question."

He had to congratulate the Changelings for managing to get the Vorta so mislead. He heard footsteps and looked up to see two Federation security officers walk over to guard his patient.

oooooooooo

"The Jem'Hadar are retreating." Garak said, tracking the movement from the Dominion HQ.

Kira nodded and looked at Odo.

"It's over now." he said reassuringly, looking at her and then back at his fellow Changeling with a slight smile on his face.

Garak was disappointed to see Breen ships still attacking the Federation allies. "Nothing seems to be stopping the Breens."

"They are a proud people, a good ally and fighters." The female Changeling said.

Kira glanced at the screen displaying the ships in the area and watched as symbols disappeared from the battlefield one by one. "What do they hope to achieve?"

Garak smiled happily. "All ships are powering down weapons, now the hard part begins."

"The hard part?" The Founder questioned.

"To rebuild everything that has been lost, unfortunately we can't just breed a new bunch of Cardassian warriors to replace the ones killed in the battlefield." Garak felt a restraining hand on his shoulder and turned to look at Kira.

He nodded at her and sighed.

"We have all come a long way today but there is much to repair. Let's make peace and let this be the beginning of something good." Kira said, looking at each one of the faces in the room.

"Well said." Odo concurred.

"Kira to the _Defiant_, four to beam up."

Odo walked over to stand beside her with the female Changeling but Garak remained where he was standing.

He shook his head sadly, looking at the chaos around him. "I am staying with my people." Their eyes met in a moment of understanding.

"Belay that, three to beam up."

Garak watched the Changelings and the Bajoran disappear in a shimmer of light, then sank down on his knees, all memories of home drowning him in a mix of joy and sorrow.

oooooooooo

To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

_/Okay let's see if I can explain how I thought about Weyoun. Normally, when a new clone is being activated it has all the memories of the previous ones and the clone is then fully functioning. In this case deep down Weyoun knows he's the last clone but can't except it and he also know he has been fatally wounded and is still in pain when he wakes up. Now I think I have managed to confuse you even more. _

oooooooooo

Chapter Two

The room was filled with people; Changelings, Vorta, Jem'Hadar, Breen, Bajorans, Cardassians, Humans and other member races of the Federation. Around a large wooden table, used on Babel a long time ago during the peace talks between the Romulans, Vulcans, Andorians, Tellarites, Orions and Humans, sat the female Changeling. She was flanked by two Vorta, one of them Weyoun. There were also some loyal Jem'Hadar soldiers while the Breen stood in a row behind the Dominion delegation. At the other side of the table sat the Admiral and Captain Benjamin Sisko together with Odo, Kira and Worf. At their end of the table sat Dax and Martok.

Around the delegations stood a lot of inhabitants of the station to witness the historic event that was about to take place. Right behind the Starfleet delegation stood Dr. Bashir, Chief O'Brien, Nog and Quark.

"At least they could have reserved us some seats." O'Brien muttered.

Bashir elbowed him lightly as they watched the Admiral handing over the treaty to the female Changeling sitting opposite him.

They locked eyes with each other for a moment before the female Changeling politely began skimming through the text on the pad in front of her. Of course there was nothing new; the treaty had been given to the Dominion days before to read, reflect upon, and accept. This was, after all, just a symbolic action.

Weyoun sat stiff at the Changeling's right side, an arm wrapped around his torso. Julian Bashir couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. He looked a little bit paler than Waanon, the other Vorta present, and his face seemed to display sorrow, defeat, anger, pain and at the same time nothing at all. The doctor stole a glance at him only to find the Vorta glancing back at him with the same arrogant and yet innocent expression on his face that he had displayed during the war.

oooooooooo

_Flashback _

_The female Changeling and Odo walked right up to the bed Weyoun was occupying. Bashir looked up curiously from what he was studying and began making his way over to join them. _

_The female's face almost held what was best described as compassion, which made the doctor even more curious. _

_She gently placed a hand on the Vorta's shoulder. "Weyoun?" _

_Receiving no instant reply, she turned to him as he was the medical officer present. _

_He nodded and smiled faintly as if telling her that it was all right. _

_The Changeling seemed surprised that he had caught on to her train of thought since she didn't believe the humans could communicate without words. However he had read her mind anyway. _

_She decided to let it pass and not let the surprise show in her features as her soft voice called out to the pale figure once again. "Weyoun?" _

_The Vorta slowly moved his head to the side as if to see the speaker better. "Founder?" he croaked. _

_She smiled at him. "I am pleased to know that you are recuperating…"_

_Once again Julian found the reaction of the Changeling odd because she seemed genuinely happy. Not that Odo didn't care for his friends and so called family but he had always differentiated Odo from the rest of the Changelings. They bred Jem'Hadar, used and killed the Cardassians until there was almost nothing left of the people and cloned the Vorta to have them serve them in all purposes. This was just not like her; maybe Odo had already influenced his people more than he thought was possible. _

"…_but I no longer have any use for you." _

_That sentence made Bashir involuntarily shudder and he didn't seem to be the only one. _

_Weyoun gazed worriedly at her from his vulnerable position on the bed, wondering what he could possibly have done to anger his God in such way that she would save him just to let him die. _

_As if sensing his uneasiness she gently squeezed his shoulder. "I think you misunderstood me. I am not going to kill you as you have done nothing wrong. You have served me well."_

_Weyoun visibly relaxed, momentarily closing his eyes. _

"_It's simply that it'll take some time for us to get well again, even with Odo's help, and we will not show ourselves in this form or any other for a very long time. Odo has finally agreed to take his rightful place in the great link and we will not leave or shape shift until the healing has been completed."_

_Weyoun carefully reached for his right ear and neck only to trace a faint long incision. For a short moment he seemed angry but when he spoke his voice was soft, although Bashir couldn't help but hear the underlying confusion in it. _

"_Why have you deprived me of doing what is right?" he questioned. _

"_Because, my loyal Vorta, I want you to learn what freedom is." _

_Weyoun glanced at Odo accusingly. "Forgive me Odo for questioning you but what have you done to…" _

"_I am not under any influence, Weyoun," the Changeling spokeswoman interrupted, her voice steely. "I am simply seeing things more clearly thanks to Odo." _

_There was nothing soft about her now and Julian found himself very happy that the war was over._

"_I had your termination implant removed because you don't require it any longer. The Federation and the Dominion have agreed that the Vorta were only carrying out our orders."_

_Weyoun made a face."But…" _

_She held up her hand to silence him. "I know you made difficult decisions during the war, executed millions of people, but in the end you followed orders. I placed you in that position because I knew how skilled you were and had it not been for the Cardassians we would have dominated this region of space." Her voice turned bitter. _

_Weyoun heard what she was saying but his mind tried to come up with something that explained her confusing actions. "Founder, are you apologizing?" He almost hadn't dared to ask. "I live only to serve," he finished softly. _

"_No you don't. Once the Vorta were a proud people. Weyoun, in particular, was strong-willed, confident and a cunning diplomat." _

_Weyoun looked at her, almost shocked by her statement. It was inappropriate for his God to speak like that to him. He had to save her somehow. "Founder, I do believe that the disease is affecting you a lot more than you care to let on. We were merely a tree people." _

_Her face hardened and she spoke with an underlying anger in her strong voice. "I still feel that we acted in our own best interest but perhaps it was wrong not to trust you when our people first met." _

"_I don't understand…" Weyoun began. _

"_No, those memories have been repressed in you. You must understand that in our true form we are vulnerable and when you entered our space we didn't know what to do with you." _

_Doctor Bashir found himself rooted to the spot, getting the picture clear in his mind. The Federation wasn't the first victim of the Changelings. _

"_Weyoun, my dear Vorta, we imprisoned your people and altered your genetic make-up to suit our needs. You have never truly needed our leadership." _

_Weyoun looked at the woman he had served for so long and to whom he had given his life more than once, his bright blue eyes full of sorrow. "I…how was I?" _

_Her features seemed to soften. "Strong-minded, fair, a leader, not afraid to speak what was on your mind and act in what you believed was the best. I wish…" She looked away. "…that we hadn't judged you so soon or acted the way we did." _

_She looked at the Federation doctor and then at Weyoun. "We will be willing to give the solids a chance. Odo has showed me a different side of you, a side that we might be willing to accept." _

_Julian felt his temper rise and start to get the better of him. Millions had died and for what? "Why?" he questioned. "Why trust us now?" _

"_As I explained, perhaps we were too quick to judge you." she shrugged. "Odo has chosen to trust you and maybe, after all this, we have no choice but to trust each other." _

_The woman looked back at the only solid she had ever felt comfortable around."Weyoun, take care of your people and rediscover what we took from you." _

"_How?" he asked. _

"_All our knowledge about your people has been downloaded into the Federation database. Waanon will be given the task of rounding up your people again, as for your task, you will function as a liaison between your own people and the Federation. I have always believed in you and that is why you are to remain on this station. There is also the fact that your reputation here in the Alpha Quadrant will make you a target but also the best Vorta to begin working with the Federation." _

_Weyoun looked at her unhappily. He swallowed and let his head come to rest on the pillow, closing his eyes. His diplomatic mask, behind which he usually hid his emotions, cracked, and for the first time Julian Bashir thought he saw something human in Weyoun. _

"_Founder I…" _

"_Perhaps we should let Weyoun rest? After all he has been through he needs time to recuperate." Julian interrupted. _

_The female Changeling smiled faintly but Dr. Bashir couldn't tell if it was genuine or not. However, Odo seemed to be happy and he was happy for him but it would take a long time before he himself could start to build the necessary bridges between solids and Changelings. _

_She nodded. "Very well, Dr. Bashir." _

_He watched the two of them leave and turned to look at his patient, only to meet bright blue eyes looking back at him. _

"_Thank you." Weyoun said softly. _

_Bashir nodded. "I don't know if it helps but it will get better." _

_The Vorta tried to laugh but quickly decided against it. "Time heals all wounds? That is what your people use to say?" he remarked dryly. "What would you do if you where in my position? To learn you are just a substitute? That your so-called Gods have abandoned you and that everything you believed in was all a lie!" he practically shouted the last words. _

_Disappointment and hatred burned in his eyes and Bashir once again saw before him the Weyoun that had announced so many deaths, dismissing them like he couldn't care less, and he involuntarily shuddered. He didn't know what to make of the Vorta. _

_End flashback _

oooooooooo

Weyoun looked away as the female Changeling signed the document. Bashir thought it was ironic; the war had raged for years and the moment of peace took only a couple of minutes. A part of him still hadn't realized that everything would be returning to normal. That is, as normal it could get around Deep Space Nine. He had been so caught up in his inner musings that he had missed the rest of the Admiral's speech and the historic event going on in front of him.

"You okay Julian?" O'Brien asked concerned.

He looked at him for a moment, then he smiled, feeling like he had been caught doing something wrong. "Um yeah, did I miss something?"

O'Brien frowned. "Well your body didn't miss anything but when it comes to your brain I wouldn't now." He placed a hand on his friends shoulder as the room started to clear and people walked toward the exit doors. "Come on, the good old Captain is throwing a celebration, everyone is going to be there."

oooooooooo

Odo walked slowly toward the airlock, thinking back on how many years he had spent on the station and what he had actually achieved. It had been his home and the place where all his friends lived but somehow it didn't feel all that appealing to him anymore. The link was reaching out to him, calling him, and he realized there could only be one home. If he could help cure his people and help them see the solids as their equals and trustworthy individual beings without controlling them, he had come a long way.

The only thing he regretted was leaving the woman he loved, Kira, behind. He turned around to take one last look t her beauty. She looked up at him, taking his hand in hers, her soft brown eyes filled with sorrow.

"Don't look at me like that, I don't deserve it."

She knew she was being selfish and cursed herself for being such a baby but she couldn't help it. "Odo, I don't want you to go."

He sighed. Although his people didn't usually show their feelings very often didn't mean that they didn't have them and right now he was fighting a losing battle with his own. "I'll miss you terribly but this is something I have to do, not just for myself or us, but for my people and for yours."

She hugged him gently. "I will be looking for you." She looked at him intently. "You are coming back, aren't you?" It was a question she almost hadn't dared to ask even though she was a strong woman.

His eyes met hers and he fought not to look away.

"Odo?" She waited for him to reply.

"One day…but I can't say when."

"It doesn't matter when as long as you promise to come back."

The female Changeling and Weyoun slowly walked up to them, and Nerys unwillingly let go of Odo. These feelings that she had toward him scared her. She was a though woman and used to war and occupations, but her feelings made her feel vulnerable and she hated that.

The female Changeling walked up to stand beside Odo, nodding at him before turning back to the Vorta. "Good bye, my dear Weyoun."

He nodded grimly but bowed slightly and Kira found herself wondering what kind of conversation they had had.

"Good bye Founder." Weyoun replied simply and turned away.

When the Changelings had walked through the airlock together the door started to close, blocking Kira's view. She turned away and was surprised to find Weyoun looking at her.

"Do you believe them?" he asked.

She walked up to him. "Don't you?"

"I don't know what I believe anymore."

Before she really knew what she was doing, she placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it softly. In a way, it felt good to do it.

oooooooooo

The end


End file.
